A proposal to use Scottish Borders Council cash to clean-up a overgrown piece of land abandoned by a private landlord in Hawick has been branded an “insult to the tax-paying public” by one of the town’s councillors.

Rethinking the Scottish Government’s funding formula for maintenance of the region’s roads could be one of the first tasks for the soon-to-be-created south of Scotland enterprise agency, councillors have been told.